COHASSET EDITORIAL: Bridge jumping

Thursday

Jul 12, 2012 at 12:01 AMJul 12, 2012 at 12:18 PM

Depending on the weather, the police log can contain numerous daily reports about police officers having “dispersed a gathering” from the Border Street bridge. But once the officer leaves, the jumpers quickly return.

The annual summertime activity attracts local teens and preteens as well as out-of-towners.

Mary Ford

Depending on the weather, the police log can contain numerous daily reports about police officers having “dispersed a gathering” from the Border Street bridge. But once the officer leaves, the jumpers quickly return.

The annual summertime activity attracts local teens and preteens as well as out-of-towners.

While the practice is often described as a “rite of passage” – it is clearly dangerous and would better be described as “an accident waiting to happen.”

This past week, our worst fears were realized as a teen from Roxbury almost drowned after jumping into the Gulf and then being swept under the bridge with the outgoing tide and into the rapids.

Police increase patrols and monitor the bridge during the summer but it does little to discourage the activity. Police can charge fines and also arrest jumpers – but both those options are problematic as some of the jumpers are as young as 12 and few have IDs with them. (There have been arrests when alcohol has been involved.)

We recall an incident a few years ago when a youth brought along a small trampoline to provide more propulsion off the bridge. There is also the danger of a young person getting hit by a car traveling over the bridge.

We think it is time to examine “mechanical means” (high fencing on the bridge or some kind of netting below the bridge) to end the bridge jumping tradition even if that involves a capital expenditure. Other than stationing an officer full-time at the bridge on hot days – we do not see another alternative.

As Deputy Chief William Quigley said this week: “We do not want to ruin anyone’s summer fun – but we don’t want to attend a funeral service either.”

Apart from a terrible human tragedy – what liability is the town exposed to with this attractive nuisance?

In the early 1980s – we reported on towns that were actually flattening sledding hills due to the liability issue. We hope those litigious days are over, but the Town of Cohasset – which clearly knows how dangerous the bridge jumping can be – should take all steps possible to end the practice, once and for all.